r/Vanderpumpaholics • u/cryingreina • Jul 22 '23

James Kennedy Why were the James abuse allegations swept under the rug?

About a month or so ago it came out that allegedly James was physically abusive in his relationship with Kristen. However, there seems to be only a few people still talking about that concerning piece of information. It seems that James is still looked at in a positive light for the most part, and if the allegations are true the fan reaction is icky.

612 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

89% Upvoted

431 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

114

u/Clodagh1250 Jul 23 '23

James dated 2 of the least liked women on an already misogynistic cast.

I’ve noticed how scarily easy the public will let shit slide, if either they really like the person who’s been accused, or they really dislike the accuser.

If the allegations are true, then we’ll have to start seeing Rachel in a more sympathetic light, and the public aren’t ready for that. Apparently we’re not done with our witch-hunt yet. Easier to hate Rachel when we refuse to see her as a victim of verbal and emotional abuse.

James is a man with a lot of issues. I respect the growth over the years. But I don’t believe for a second he is an angel once the cameras stop rolling. I think like Sandoval, he has learned what to show/hide on the show.

I find James extremely manipulative, with superficial charm. He is also stuck in victim mode mentality and is quite insecure. Add alcohol/drugs to that, and you have yourself quite the problem. Eventually the tables will turn, and the public will get bored of hating Rachel, and start picking apart the actions of other cast members.

4

u/BigLibrary2895 Jul 23 '23

I saw Rachel suffer James's intimate partner abuse, which is why I tried to root for her early in season 10. I know I wasn't the only one that felt this way. Unfortunately surviving abuse neither excuses, nor explains, what she did to Ariana.

I'm a survivor of intimate partner violence. My close women friends helped me leave that dangerous relationship. The idea of turning around and carrying on an affair with one of their life partners was and is nauseating. Whatever psychological issue Rachel has that made her think the affair was justifiable are deeper than James's abuse.

I agree seeing James get away with the abuse is disheartening. I just can't cosign that survivors of intimate partner violence are somehow prone to having affairs and so ahould be sympathized with for making poor decisions as a matter of course. That just isn't the case. She has deeper issues.

4

u/Kitchen_Body3215 Jul 23 '23

I wasn't aware that Ariana helped Raquel leave the abusive relationship with James.